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How to be a more creative photographer and enrich your life in the process

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One does not think during creative work, any more than one thinks when driving a car. But one has a background of years – learning, unlearning, success, failure, dreaming, thinking, experience, all this – then the moment of creation, the focusing of all into the moment. – Edward Weston

Creativity is, in some respects, intangible. It does not have a physical form. It cannot be distilled and sold in bottles. It cannot be summoned at will, and if it does happen to show its face, there is no guarantee that it will stick around.

Creativity is elusive and as such, is one of the pinnacles of photographic achievement.

Many photographers will ask after its whereabouts, and how it might fashion them a personal style, vision, or voice.

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Photographer uses clear water to create abstract painting-like portraits

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Slovak photographer Michal Zahornacky creates surrealistic mood in his photos, and he does it all in camera. Once again, he has brought together realistic and abstract. In the series he named Curves, he has turned ordinary portraits into amazing abstract, painting-like photos. And instead of using Photoshop, he used only some water and achieved these amazing effects entirely in camera.

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Here are some macro photography ideas you can shoot at home right now

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Just because you might know your own home like the back of your hand, it doesn’t mean that there’s nothing exciting left to shoot there. If you’re not convinced, this video from COOPH will change your mind.

Your home is full of photographic opportunities you can grab on a rainy day or when you simply feel like playing with a camera. And best of all – you can try them out straight away. Check out the ideas in the video below, and I’ll give you a few suggestions of my own, too.

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These surreal photos play with your mind, and they were created entirely in-camera

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Most of us would think that creating images that look like they’re out of this world would take a lot of Photoshop magic. However, John Dykstra is an artist and surrealist photographer from Michigan who does it all in-camera. He uses his garage as a studio and adds simple props to create optical illusions and capture them in mind-boggling images.

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Here’s why you should still work on your idea even if “it’s already been done before”

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So, you have this great idea, it completely occupies your mind and you can’t wait to start working on it. And then it hits you, or someone tells you: “It’s already been done before.” It’s highly demotivating and I believe it has happened to all of us. Zach Ramelan suggests you take this saying and throw it out the window, and gives you some reasons why you should work on your idea even if it’s already been done before. If you’re looking for some motivation, this video might be the right thing to watch right now.

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Finding your photographic eye

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When my wife and I first met, we spent a week together in Vancouver. One of the things that made me realise that we were so well suited to each other was that we both loved taking photos. While walking around the downtown area, it took us about an hour to cover 30 meters because we both kept stopping to take pictures of various things that we found interesting along the way.

I also soon learned that she had a much better natural eye. Over the period of an hour I could take one hundred pictures and she would take ten, and all ten of hers were better than mine. She just sees shapes and angles that I miss.

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How to make creative abstract photos with a kettle of boiling water

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There are plenty of opportunities for creative photos all around your home. And one pretty cool idea comes from a Swedish photographer Micael Widell. He uses a glass kettle of boiling water, speedlights with colored gels and a macro lens to get some abstract photos. There are plenty of ways to play with light here. Because of this and the unpredictable movement of water bubbles, you’ll get unique photos every time.

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4 Lessons in Creativity for Photographers

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Creativity in any discipline is about finding new and original ideas. When they strike, creative thoughts seem to appear out of nowhere – light bulb moments. Sometimes it seems like creativity is something intangible that we can’t control. But are there ways you can nurture your own creativity? How can we better create the conditions for those moments of inspiration to strike?

In her TED talk, Julie Burstein, an expert in creative thought, offers insight into how creativity grows out of everyday experiences. Her stories revolve around various creative disciplines, but her key four ‘lessons’ are ones that we can embrace as photographers. Her full TED talk is worth watching, but in this post, we wanted to explore in-depth some of her key points and discuss how these may be applicable for photographers.

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Have you found your inner artist?

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Photographer Joshua Cripps is one of those artists whose words inspire me to think about my own work. And his latest challenge has definitely made me start thinking and re-evaluating my photography.

The challenge is this: look through the most recent photos in your portfolio and ask yourself: “are these photos the product of my unique artistic vision or could any photographer have done this?” After this question, my thoughts started unraveling. And with the same question in mind, Joshua wrote an interesting article that could also make you reevaluate your work and become even better at what you do.
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